One of Italy’s best-known winemaking consultants, Emiliano has a glittering roster of clients including Girolamo Russo (Etna), and Giacomo Fenocchio (Barolo). When, in 2019, he decided to begin work on his own range of wines, Emiliano opted for the two regions closest to his heart: Sicily’s Mount Etna and the Tuscan Coast, just south of Bolgheri.
Etna’s potential for producing ethereal, mineral reds is today beyond question – not for nothing was a recent Wine Advocate article featuring Emiliano’s wines titled ‘Etna: The Burgundy of the Mediterranean.’ Emiliano farms three hectares of Nerello Mascalese in Feudo Pignatone, a Contrada on the volcano’s north slope. His vines lie at some 700 metres’ altitude, and the majority were planted at least a century ago.
Emiliano’s holdings in his native Tuscany also amount to a mere three hectares, just five kilometres from the sea, which are planted exclusively to Cabernet Franc. A key constituent of Super Tuscans such as Ornellaia and Sassicaia, Cab Franc shines here in the warm maritime climate on soils of sandy clay with pockets of fine gravel.
Profiled below, Emiliano’s wines from both Etna and Tuscany are characterised by lifted aromas (indicative of a high proportion of whole-bunch across the board), fresh acidity, silky smooth tannins and a saline, mineral resonance. They make evident his technical mastery as well as his intuitive grasp of terroir.
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